Threatening violence, insults, cyberbullying and death threats.
A group of girls made eighth grader Olivia's last term hell. In this story, Olivia's name has been changed to protect her privacy.
Olivia's parents filed criminal reports with the police as well as child protection services about the ringleader, a seventh-grade girl.
"But they were of no use — the bullying just continued. The school promised to set up a meeting with the bullies' parents present, but it never materialised beyond a promise," Olivia's mother told Yle.
Last October, the girl gang threatened to beat Olivia up at school. They also cornered her in the school bathroom, breaking down the door in the process.
"After that incident, Olivia refused to go back to school, and we had no choice but to enroll her in another one," her father said.
Olivia was not bullied at her new school, but the girl group from the old school attacked her at a shopping centre. They also showed up at her house, where the seventh-grade ringleader not only insulted Olivia's parents but also the police officers called to the scene. In the presence of the police, the main bully even threatened to "get Olivia".
"Olivia has always been an active girl who's out and about with her friends. But last fall, she didn't leave the house for two months except to go to school. And even then, her mother drove her there and back," Olivia's father explained.
At one point the ringleader's older brother contacted Olivia's parents promising to sort things out, but this intervention did not stop the ringleader's threats. It was then that Olivia's mother decided to explore the possibility of a restraining order.
In Finland, the age of criminal responsibility is 15, but the laws governing restraining orders don't set out an age limit. The police also encouraged the family to seek a restraining order, according to the mother.
Stopped bullying
In December, the Päijät-Häme district court handed Olivia's bully, a seventh grade girl, a six-month restraining order. This month the Eastern Finland Court of Appeal upheld the order, and the most important thing of all happened: the bullying stopped.
The restraining order lapses at the end of this spring term. If the bullying picks up again, Olivia's parents would need to gather new evidence for an extension of the restraining order through a new legal process.
Olivia's mother said that while the process had been lengthy, it was worth it. In addition to stopping the bullying, she said her children witnessed their parents taking action on their behalf.
Ultimately, she said she encourages all parents of seriously bullied children to file criminal and child protection reports for each incident and to save screenshots of any online bullying. And if nothing else helps, to seek a restraining order through the courts.
"It's been a long road, but so far, this is the only thing that has worked," Olivia's mother said.
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